**SOME PICTURES IN THIS PJ MAY BE MISSING AS I MOVED AROUND IMAGES IN MY PHOTOBUCKET IF THERE IS AN IMAGE YOU WANT TO SEE AND IT IS NOT THERE PLEASE MESSAGE ME AND I WILL FIX IT**

Planning Journal Index: (This is here because these things get long and hopefully it will help all of you be able to see exactly what you want to read about in a quicker fashion)

The Bride and Groom
Intro to Bride and Groom: Read below it is in the first post
How we met/Our Story: Read below it is in the first post and continues in the 2nd and 3rd post
The proposal:page 1 post #6
Engagement Picture time: page 18 post #265
Heartfelt message from the Bride: page 26 post #382

My name is Teresa and my fiance's name is Greg. I have been keeping an eye on the planning journals and was waiting for one significant event to occur so that I could start sharing my planning with you.

Seeing as how I am now writing this it would be safe to assume that that one very important event has occurred. However, first things first I need to introduce you to us.

First off my name is Teresa I am 26 years old and an athletic trainer at a high school in Texas. I am a very large disney fanatic and I would say that I am becoming a disney world fanatic. I have come to learn that those are 2 VERY different things. My primary passion in life is Star Wars I eat, breathe and sleep the wars. I actually write my own blog on the world of being a fangirl and about all of the things I am a fan of. Please go and check it out the more the merrier http://fangirlnextdoor.com I am also currently working on creating a podcast for the blog as well so maybe some of you out there will enjoy some of that. In addition to my own blog I write for a star wars fansite but I have not contributed in a while but I am working on that. Here is the website to that site as well http://anakinandhisangel.com Other things about me are that I am also a huge lord of the rings and harry potter fan. I read tons of books across a very wide spectrum of genres but I do love my sci fi and fantasy. I am a toy collector mostly in the world of LEGO, some action figures, vinylmations, playing cards and board games. I love interacting with people which is why I love the disboards so much and can't wait to share this story with you.

Star wars weekends 2010

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Greg is 29 years old well not yet but in a week or so he will be. He works for HP as a big time sales guy which I actually think is kind of a cool job. The reason this relationship has worked so well and so quickly is because of the flexibility he has with his job. He is based in Chicago so if you have been paying attention you will notice we do not live in the same place just yet (and the plot thickens!). Greg loves things like Mad Men, the Godfather movies and other gangster Chicago based stories, he also gets a very big kick out Splash Mountain! He is definitely a Disney world fanatic and not so much a Disney fanatic. This is how I learned that there is a difference between the two. Greg also loves cars (not the movie..although Cars 2 was the first movie we saw together). Greg is on the disboards also his name is audipolo. I am sure he will read this soon and probably comment that I left some important stuff out on his bio.

Our first breakfast as an engaged couple

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Now that you have met us let me give you the story of how we met.

We met on the Disboards back in May of 2011 (this year) when we were both planning on a solo trip to disney world. Our dates for our trips overlapped so we decided if we had time we would try and meet up. On June 4th he came over to Hollywood studios because that was where I was enjoying Star Wars Weekends with all my fellow nerds. He came over later in the day and he got in line with us to watch one of the Star Wars related shows. He then stayed with me the rest of the day and we watched the Hyperspace hoopla with my new friends I had made. At the end of the evening he and I decided that we were hungry so we walked to the boardwalk and ate at one of the restaurants there.

I should also note that he was wearing a Donald Duck shirt and he was so adorably cute to me but of course I didn't say anything I just smiled to myself. (the shirt he was wearing is pictured above)

So we sat and talked for what seemed like hours and we really hit it off. I did not think we would be anything other than friends but from the very beginning it felt like I had known him my whole life. We left dinner that night and smiled at each other thanked each other for a great night and I got on my bus back to All Star Movies and he went back to the Contemporary.

now to leave you in suspense for what transpired over the rest of our trip....

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The next day which was a Sunday we actually did not see each other because I was engulfed in my star wars world and he was having a very relaxing day. He did call me and invite me to dinner with him at the california grill but I turned him down. Now I did not turn him down because I was not interested I turned him down because I was with my friends from some of the websites I write for and we were going to watch fantasmic together and spend the last evening of SWW having fun. Looking back on it I realize he was trying to ask me out...oops!

meeting matt lanter at star wars weekends​

Monday rolls around and this would be his last day at the world before he was to leave Tuesday morning. This day was a day that I got to roam around on my own during my solo trip. I went to the magic kingdom that day and was texting Greg the majority of the day. He had spent the morning and early afternoon at Epcot and he was thinking of going to Hollywood Studios. I told him that I could meet him at the Studios if he wanted. I was currently eating a funnel cake and drinking a coke at the sleepy hollow funnel cake stand. I wrapped up my wonderful snack and headed over to Hollywood Studios. When I got there he said that he was busy with some clients (a work thing) and that he would get with me soon. I told him I would be at Star Tours at this point I had not ridden it enough to have gotten all the different scenarios the ride had to offer so I did not mind riding the ride while I waited for him. I rode it a few times and texted him while I was in line. He found out I really wanted the Star Wars vinylmations and that they are ridiculously hard to get and he said he would meet me outside Tatooine Traders in a little bit he was going on a mission.

Riding some star tours​

So I quietly waited and bought some of the star wars collector's packs that have the super small figures in them and I played with them while I waited.

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When he got there he told me he had gone up in the management of the disney merchandise people to try and get me some star wars vinylmations. He was not successful but the amount of thought and dedication he had for something that I like so much was phenomenal! We then went and rode the rock n roller coaster and star tours we then decided that we were hungry so we went to eat at Narcoosse's while we were there we had so much fun with our waiter and hostess lady. I had never seen the electrical water pageant before so while we were sitting there I got to see it except that it was backwards....that was a great way to see that for the first time and provided a good laugh for us. We then went to the Magic Kingdom there were EMH that night and we watched Wishes for the first time together and if I remember this was the first time we held hands. The rest of the evening was a blur of riding rides together we for sure hit Splash Mountain his favorite and Winnie the Pooh's hunny pots which is my favorite. As the night came to a close we decided to go back to his room at the contemporary for his balcony so I could see the Magic Kingdom at night from there ( at that point I had never been to the contemporary before). It was on his balcony after 2 hours of talking and laughing that he kissed me, it was the most amazing fireworks filled romantic kiss I have ever had keep in mind Cinderella's castle was in the background. We knew this was his last night however it was not my last night in the world. It was now 4am and he was going to need to get ready to leave he had an early flight in the morning. It was a pretty sad moment for us because looking into each other's eyes we knew that this was a moment we have both been waiting for our whole lives and now we were leaving to different parts of the country. I went back to my room at All Star Movies and hoped I hear from him the next day.

So where were we ah yes we were at the point where we may never see each other again!

The next day I get a phone call in the morning after I am up and getting dressed. It was Greg and he asked what I was up to for the day. I told him that I thought I would go to the Animal Kingdom because I had not been there yet on this trip. His reply to me was "ok I will see you there in a bit" then he hangs up the phone. you can imagine my confusion since I knew that he was supposed to leave and that I was pretty sure I would not see him again anytime soon. When I got to the animal kingdom I saw his amazing smiling face and everything felt right and I was so comfortable. I asked him what happened and he told me that he decided to stay so he cancelled his flight for that night instead he wanted one more day with me. Well that one more day turned out to be amazing we hung out at animal kingdom went to epcot to via napoli to eat then as day grew to dusk I asked him about his flight he got on his phone and cancelled it again to the next morning. We went to the rainforest cafe that night and had a blast but talked about some serious relationship stuff like "where is this going?" "are we together?" you know that kind of stuff. We decided we would see and not force anything. Well now he does not have a room because he checked out of the contemporary so he came to All Star Movies and stayed with me.

The next morning I woke him up so he could catch his flight and guess what....he cancelled it again so he could be with me and he rescheduled it for the same time as my flight that evening. So we checked out of the hotel and went to Downtown disney and we just talked and realized that this had turned into something neither of us had expected. We ate at Fulton's Crab house and bought some vinylmations for me. We sat near where the hot air balloon is docked and just talked and enjoyed being with one another.

the view from where we sat our last day together​

It was around this point that I knew I had fallen head over heels in love with this man and now we had to figure out how to make this work. A month after all of that he came to Austin to see me and that was it! We were hooked on each other he bought me a tiffany silver band ring as a symbol of his love and a place holder to show his every intention to marry me. We continued for the past 3 months with him coming to see me in Austin and us spending as much time together as we possibly can. This relationship has bloomed and grown from such a small seed 4 months ago and now it is a large beautiful flower that is constantly bringing joy. Being with him makes my whole world brighter and more alive.

We just got back from Disney World where we spent the weekend this past weekend and celebrated Disney's 40th anniversary on our 3 month anniversary. He then proposed this same day and now here we are engaged.

this is where he proposed anyone know where it is?​

We had already talked about getting married so I had started planning a Disney FTW with a planner because he wanted to get married before the end of 2012. So while I knew it was coming I did not know when or how and so it was still a wonderful surprise. I will fill you in on the engagement story soon.

On October 1st, 2011 Disney World celebrated their 40th anniversary, that same day Greg and I celebrated our 3 month anniversary. This day would only get better and more meaningful and will now be etched in the history of our lives.

Our first picture as an engaged couple​

The day was a great day we left from Austin, TX very early in the morning and I slept on the plane to Dallas almost the whole time. When we got to Dallas and got on the plane to Orlando we had been upgraded to first class which was super awesome because I had never ridden first class before.

me being first classy!
our first trip together in first class​

When we got to Disney we went over to the Polynesian because this was where we were staying and let me tell you that this was also my first time staying in a deluxe hotel on Disney property so it was awesome! I have always liked the Poly so I was pretty excited that I was actually going to get to stay there. We checked in and headed straight to Hollywood Studios. There are 2 reasons for this...1. HS is my favorite park and I had to ride star tours 2. We had lunch reservations at Mama Melrose's. When we got there we rode star tours and had a blast I never get tired of that ride and then we went to eat. We decided that from now on that was going to be our new tradition when we get to Disney every time we go. Star tours first then our first meal will be at Mama Melrose's.

From there we did a little bit more at HS and then we headed back to the Hotel. Our room had not been ready when we got there and we had received a text that it was ready so we went to go and check out the room. After that we went to the Magic Kingdom to share in the celebration of Disney's 40th anniversary we got some cool retro park maps but they were out of buttons which made me kind of sad because I wanted something to commemorate the day. It was so packed we really just took pictures and walked around enjoying the atmosphere.

Just in case you haven't seen what the entrance looked like that day​

From there we went to the Wilderness Lodge to check it out because I have never seen it and I wanted to. We are headed back to the World in December for christmas but also to put the deposit down and sign contracts and stuff for the Wedding and I want to stay at the WL. I had a blast watching the geyser and walking around in the lobby I fell in love with the place we then had dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe and afterwards headed back to the room. We had a little R & R but wishes was about to start and we heard there were going to be special 40th anniversary fireworks. So we headed to the beach at the Poly to watch the fireworks and it was amazing getting to watch wishes with him sitting on a beach and just enjoying the romantic setting. I could tell something was up because of the way he was acting. Once wishes ended we just sat and talked on the beach for a bit. I had a feeling that a proposal was coming but I was not 100% sure and I would be lying if I said that I didn't want him to do it in that romantic setting I thought it would have been a perfect opportunity. He actually said well I can't propose to you now that would be too obvious and as we joked about it I thought "well maybe he won't propose at Disney"

We eventually made our way to the monorail to head to the Magic Kingdom since it was open until midnight. When we got on the monorail he said we are getting off at the 3rd stop. The 3rd stop from the poly is the contemporary resort. I said "um ok why?" and he told me that he had to show me something that he just thought of. So we got off at the contemporary and we walked downstairs and out towards the pools. We kept walking to this spot.

View looking towards the spot at the railing in the corner
looking back towards the contemporary​

We get to this spot and he explains the following:

This spot was where he came to the first day of his trip when he met me and he took a picture at sunrise in this very spot. Later that day he met me for the first time. After our first date that monday the next morning he needed to think about what he was going to do in regards to us. It was at this very spot that he discovered within himself that he was in love with me after our first date. It was here that he made the decision to cancel his flight and stay. It was here that he decided he was going to do everything he could to get more time with me to build a relationship that he was willing to do anything for. So with that and explaining to me why this spot is so significant he said "So I would like to ask you if you would marry me?" I of course said yes it took me a minute to process even though I knew this was coming I could feel it in my bones. I was taken a back by how instead of choosing an overly romantic spot or a spot that was an iconic Disney spot he chose the very place that he made the decisions that fueled our romance. He was not worried about making it a picture perfect movie engagement he did not get on one knee he looked me straight in the eye and let me see into his heart. This meant so much to me. I knew there would be no ring yet because the ring that he and I decided on is a custom one of kind ring that is currently being hand crafted. It will be done probably in January and then I get the surprise of getting it

After we kissed and hugged we walked hand in hand to the magic kingdom and went straight to Buzz Lightyear's Space ranger spin (hence the picture above). That night was a truly magical night and now 10-1-11 holds a very special place and I can say that I now share in an anniversary or at least a very special day with disney.

So the planning process has begun and this is where I stand on things. I have talked with my planner (or whatever his title is) with DFTW and he put my venues on hold for me. In december we will lock them in.

Ceremony: Sea Breeze Point at 10:00am
Reception: Backstage Prop Shop no time specified yet but it was discussed to use it for a brunch

Wedding Date: December 17th, 2011 I am deliberately not doing it on a weekend because I want cheaper prices and I am also trying to keep the guest list lower.

Currently I am planning on putting together a wedding event not just a wedding itself. We are trying to find a way to do this without spending too much. Here is what my tentative plans look like:

Dec. 15th: welcome event for those that want to attend or get there early enough

Dec. 16th: rehearsal and parent/family dinner

Dec. 17th: Wedding Day with a possible dessert party for those that want to join

Dec. 18th: farewell breakfast with those that want to join followed by a day of going to the parks with our family and friends that stay for the day or want to go

Dec.19th: Beginning of the honeymoon we will do christmas at WDW together as a family on our own during our honeymoon

Welcome event ideas:
I am trying to come up with something we can do. We would not fund the event whatever we did the participants would have to pay so I was thinking something like
Mini golf
hoop de do review
downtown disney dinner
hidden mickey hunt

however I still am not 100% on any of these ideas as of yet and am still searching for other ideas

Wedding Theme: The primary theme is Vinylmation with Hints of Star Wars

Wedding Colors: due to the vinylmation theme I am using black, ice blue, and a berry purple

Officiant Ideas:
Right now I have reached out to two that are available Rev. Jack Day and Rev. Tim Herring I like both of them so far so we will see there

Engagement photos: we want to do a disney engagement photo session I don't know much about it though. I read some stuff in the passporter but could really use some advice on this. Also my friend here in Texas has offered to do engagement photos for us as well which Greg (DF) wants to take her up on.

Things I have bought for the wedding:
9" white blank vinylmation for guest book (need a black one)
Bride and Groom Vinylmations
My dress

My wedding dress: I was engaged back in 2007 for a wedding in 2009 that never took place and fell through. I actually bought a long and short dress because at the time I was not sure what I wanted. They are both Alfred Angelo and they are gorgeous. I love my dress and so I plan to wear it. Since DF is on the boards I can't post a direct picture but I have this collage of dresses and feel free to take a guess at which one it is or PM me and I will tell you. As soon as I can figure out how to put the collage up I will.

So this is where I am on the planning. Looking forward to your opinions and ideas.

So here is the collage of dresses my actual dress is in this collage. PM me if you want to know which one it is for sure. I would totally just post it on here with the picture I have of me in it except that DF is a disboards member since that is how we met initially and he would inevitably see it. So play the game with me and take a guess!​

Here is my to do list for planning:

find save the dates i like

find invitation styles i like

find bouquets and floral i like

begin making the list of wedding songs

Decide on accomodations for room block

choose a dessert party venue

find out pricing of dance floor at disney

make plans to meet with rev tim herring in december

make plans to meet with disney planner in december

As you can see I have stuff to do...not all of it is very pressing but it is fun non the less.

Love all your plans so far, can't wait to read more! The proposal story and how you guys met is great. Must have been cool to end up engaged to someone who loves Disney as much as you. DF and I had only been dating for 6 months before he proposed but had been planning the disney wedding with the planner after only 4 months. Kind of amazing to meet someone and know they are the right person after such a short amount of time. Good luck with the rest of your planning.

So here is the deal...I have been trying to figure out how disney's wedding website they give you works. I know it is a facebook application which makes it difficult because at work we can not see facebook. Can it be seen without having facebook?

Since I was not sure about this I have created a Wedding Website and a Blog. Since I am a blog and I am turning this planning journal into a blog for all my fellow disney brides and grooms I decided I wanted to make this journal public to friends and family. So to check out my wedding blog for our december wedding go to http://www.ourwishesdocometrue.com

The website is absolutely gorgeous! Great job creating all of it! I have a planning journal for the Knot as well as a wedding website and found them both so time consuming to make! It's worth it in the end though!